


The Surprise

by The_Plaid_Slytherin



Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Attacks, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-17
Updated: 2013-12-17
Packaged: 2018-01-04 23:28:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1086940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Plaid_Slytherin/pseuds/The_Plaid_Slytherin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Saul organizes a surprise for Bill.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Surprise

**Author's Note:**

> From the prompt from laura_mayfair, Favorite author's book signing

Saul was surprised by how early the sun actually came up. Considering he was almost always asleep at this time of day, with the heavy blinds of their bedroom window drawn, it really shouldn't have come as such a surprise.   
  
Sighing, he rolled into a sitting position within his sleeping bag, studying the scene around him. He was still first in line, thank the gods, and the number of people behind him now far exceeded fifty. This had definitely paid off, despite the subterfuge he'd used to avoid arousing Bill's suspicions.   
  
Getting out of the sleeping bag took a lot longer at his age than it would have if he'd been twenty, but he managed to do it without falling over. It was all worth it, though, to see Bill's reaction. Saul was just praying he didn't notice his copy of _Dark Day_ was missing and get suspicious. This all had to be handled very carefully—they'd discussed this and Bill had claimed no interest in meeting his idol. Something about wanting to keep creative distance. Not that that meant he wouldn't enjoy a signed book.   
  
Saul patted his duffel. It was in there, double-wrapped in a plastic bag to protect it from the elements. He'd be damned if he camped out all night here in the rain just to come back with a wet book.   
  
He stretched out the crick in his neck and took a deep breath. The last time he'd been up with the sun had been at the cabin and the morning air smelled nicer there, too. Downtown just smelled like last night's restaurant garbage. His desire to bring Bill to that swanky new place on Athenian Avenue was rapidly diminishing when he saw the contents of their dumpster.   
  
Saul dug in his duffle for a granola bar. He didn't have any coffee and he didn't dare risk leaving the line, but this would have to do. That took up five minutes' time.   
  
What was he going to do until the shop opened?   
  
Saul dug into the duffel, unwrapped _Dark Day_ and began to read.   
  
**  
  
"Excuse me? Sir?"   
  
"Huh, what?" Saul looked up. Everyone on line behind him was standing; the bookshop door was open and the clerk was staring down at him.   
  
"You're first in line," she told him. "You can go in now."   
  
"Oh, right." Saul stood, wincing as his knees cracked. He'd been so absorbed in the book that he hadn't even noticed the movement. No wonder Bill liked these things so much. Maybe this was why Bill occasionally took a while to respond to a nibble on the ear or the smell of dinner burning.   
  
There was another wrench in the works now, Saul realized as he waited inside the bookstore for Mr. Prima to come out. He had his finger marking his place in the book and he couldn't help glancing down at the next sentence… and the next… and the next…   
  
"Enjoying a second read, son?"   
  
Son? Saul looked up. Prima was very old. He hadn't been expecting that, though he should have, given the book's publication date.  
  
"Actually… this is my first read. Husband's the fan." He handed the book over, half reluctantly. "His name's Bill."   
  
Prima nodded. "Sent you here, did he?" He began scribbling something in the book.  
  
"Actually, this is a surprise."   
  
Prima grinned. "Well, then. I hope he enjoys it. What does he do?"   
  
"Retired military. Both of us."   
  
"Well, I had my suspicions to look at you." Saul beamed inwardly. He was pleased he still had it. "Fought in the war?"  
  
Saul bobbed his head. "Viper pilots."   
  
Prima closed the book and handed it back. "Planning to keep reading?"   
  
"On the lev, sir." Saul couldn't explain it, but he felt a funny feeling of respect for the old guy. Maybe it was the years he'd put in as a Caprica City cop, which Saul felt a funny kind of commonality with, but he could tell they were kind of on the same wavelength. He left the bookshop smiling.   
  
The lev ride back to their apartment took a good twenty minutes which took Saul deeper into the mystery. He had to keep looking up to keep from missing the stop.   
  
"Where did you go?" Bill asked, when Saul came in.   
  
Saul jumped. He hadn't expected Bill to be right there in the entranceway, arms crossed over his chest. He was glad he'd left his bag in the hall to smuggle in later. "Told you when I called," he said. "I got caught out late and the trains had stopped running."  
  
"Where did you sleep?"   
  
"Micro place by Columbia Station."   
  
Bill looked at Saul over the tops of his glasses. Crud. He'd hated that look when Bill was the commander; it was worse than when it was his husband. If he was smart, he'd have reserved a room just so he'd have a receipt…   
  
"Not to mention those places kick you out at seven and you're just getting home now. Who were you really with?"   
  
That was when it hit Saul that Bill's thoughts were probably going a very dangerous, very, very incorrect place.   
  
Frak.   
  
"It's not what you think," he began, which was exactly what someone having an affair would say.   
  
Besides, if he left _Dark Day_ in the hallway any longer, and it got stolen, Bill would kill him. Possibly more brutally than if he really was having an affair.   
  
"I was with Edward Prima."   
  
The expression on Bill's face was unreadable. Saul threw the door open and dragged his bag back in.   
  
"Look," he said, unzipping his duffel. "No harm came to it. It was totally safe in here—look, plastic." He unwrapped the book and presented it to Bill. "Take a look inside."   
  
Bill opened it and scanned the inscription. His face softened and he looked up at Saul.   
  
"You are one sly bastard, you know that?"   
  
"I try." Saul felt his toes curl. Bill had that look on his face. Screw having slept on the sidewalk; he was still up for some noontime delight.   
  
"Are you going to keep reading?" Bill was smirking.   
  
Damn old man.  
  
Saul did his best puppy dog. "Read to me?"  
  
Bill kissed his temple. "You got it."


End file.
